Mayo gets $11M for genomics research

by Elizabeth Baier, Minnesota Public Radio

Rochester, Minn. — The National Institute of Health has awarded the Mayo Clinic an $11 million grant for medical genomics research.

Mayo received the grant to continue research of pharmacogenomics, the study of how genetics affects a person's response to medication.

Researchers at the clinic say they'll use the funding to scan the entire human genome looking for genes that might play a role in who does and who doesn't respond to drugs, mainly in patients with breast cancer and depression.

Doctors say this has the potential to eliminate possible side effects and increase drug effectiveness by determining appropriate dose.